Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

defensive

2 noun
     
defensive2
1

on/onto the defensive

behaving in a way that shows that you think that someone is criticizing you even if they are not:
In his presence, she was constantly on the defensive.
2

put/force somebody on the defensive

if you put someone on the defensive in an argument, you attack them so that they are in a weaker position:
an issue that put the White House on the defensive
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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